Tray for carrying straw hats in sample-trunks



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W. C. RICHARDS. Y TRAY POR CARRYING STRAW HATS IN SAMPLE' TRUNKS. No. 543,947.' l y I Paltented.Aug.6,1895.

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W. aRmHARDs. 4TRAY PoR CARRYING STRAW HATS IN SAMPLE TRUNKS.- No. 543,947.

Patented Aug. 6, 1895.

' UNITED vSTATES PATENT OEEICE.

WILLIAM O. RICHARDS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

TRAY FOR CARRYING STRAW HATS IN SAMPLE-TRUNKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 543,947, dated August 6, 1895. Application filed February 2| 1895, Serial No. 537,099. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM @.RIOHAEDS, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, in' the State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Trays for Carrying Straw Hats in Sample- Trunks; and I do declare the following t0 be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and t0 the igures of reference marked thereon, which form a part f of this specification.

The object of this invention is to pack straw hats, or hats made of a material analogous to straw, in such a'manner as to avoid crushing, bending, or breaking of the material, and at the same time provide for the disposition of a large number of articles in a small and compact space.

My invention consists primarily in the combination, with a trunk or analogous receptacle, of a series of trays removably and replacably mounted in said trunk, each of which trays is provided with means for containing a plurality of nests of hats.

My invention consists further in the peculiar construction of the hat-trays.

My invention consists further in the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts hereinafter set forth, pointed out in the claims, and illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in Whichf Figure 1 is a sectional elevation on the indicated line 1 1 of Fig. 2, the hats being shown in full line. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the filled trunk with the cover removed. Fig. 3 is a detail sectional elevation on the indicated line 3 3 of Fig. 2. spective view of the tray. Fig. 5 is a bottom perspective view of one of the trays. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view illustrating the manner of joining the corners of the trays in the construction thereof. Fig. 7 is a detail elevation illustrating the manner of nesting a series of hats in inverted positions relative to the primary nests.

In the construction of the device as shown the numeral lO designates a trunk rectangular in plan view, and having uniform plane inner surfaces.

Fig. 4 is a top per# Mounted in the trunk 10, and in engage- InentwithV the sides and ends of said trunk, are a series of trays 11, each identical in construction with each other, the lower tray resting on the bottom of the trunk and the succeeding upper trays being supported by the lower tray and by each other in aligning ele.- vations. Y

The trays 11 are shown in detail inFigs. 4,'

5, and 6, and each comprises abaseor bottom 12 formed of a single sheet of board of a uni# form plane surface, which bottom is notched at the corners, as indicated by 13 in Fig. 6.

The sides 14 15 ofthe bottom 12 are fixed pref-- erably by nailing to the side bars 16 17, which side bars slightly exceed in length'the length of the bottom 12 and are of less thickness than the transverse dimension of the notches 13, thereby providing slots'lS between the corners of the bottom 12 and the ends of said side bars. Legs 19 are provided at each corner of the bottom 12, which legs have reduced or tenoned lower end. portions 20, adapted to be inserted in the slots 18 and secured to the end portions of the side bars 1G 17. End bars 2l 22 are provided, which end bars are of a width corresponding with the length of the legs 19, and are notched at corners, as indicated by 23 in Fig. 6, in which notches 23 the end portions of the side bars 16 17 rest and are secured. Each of the end bars 21 22 is provided with a groove, as indicated by 24 in Fig. 6, in which grooves the end portions of the bottoms 12 rest and are supported against flexure or warping. A series of elliptical apertures 25 are formed in the bottom 12 of each tray, which apertures are lined with astrip of. musl'in or other textile fabric 26, Fig. 3, and a ring of felt or similar yielding materialsurrounds the apertures and is secured to and projects below the bottom 12, which rings are designated as 27 and form seats for the hats.

. Hats 28 are nested, as shown, four hats in each nest and inserted in the apertures 25 of the trays, the outer hat of each nest engaging by its brim with the ring 27, and by its crown engaging the lining-strip 26. Straps 29 30, having means, such as a buckle 31, whereby they may be detachably joined, are mounted on the end bars 21 22 of each tray and extend longitudinally of the rows of apertures 25, the

said straps engaging the brim of each inner hat ofthe nests and confining the entire nests in the apertures 25.

Ilandles 32 33 are iixed to the inner faces of the end bars 21 22, respectively, by means of which handles the trays are manually positioned or removed in the trunk l0.

lVhen the trays are in position and the hats 28 are nested within the apertures of said trays, the brims of said hats overlap and interlock with each other, as designated at 34 in Fig. l.

It sometimes occurs that it is desired to carry in connection with hats of ordinary size aline of samplehats having brims of extreme breadth and of such dimension as to render it impossible to pack the same by nesting in the apertures 25, by reason of the engagement ot the perimeters of said hats with the crowns of the hats adjacent thereto, and We have pro vided for such contingency by nesting said larger hats 35 and positioning the same, as indicated by dotted lines in Figs. 1 and 2, and by full lines in Fig. 7,in inverted relations to andbetween the rows of the regularsize hats 2S 28, the brims of the hats 35 interlocking with each other and resting in series upon the crown of the hats 28.

In practical use the hats are nested in the trays and the trays positioned in the trunk 10, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and when it is desired to display the same the trays are removed from the trunk by the application of manual force to the handles 32 33, and said trays inverted and the straps unbuckled, at which time each nestor individual hats from the nest may be removed from the tray.

It will be observed that by packing the hats as indicated a large quantity of the articles may be contained in a limited space and relatively positioned so as to maintain the contour of each individual article nnimpaired and the quality thereof uninjured for an indefinite time, thus avoiding the common necessity of discounting sample-goods when offered for sale in the regular course of business.

Vhen hats with narrow brims are to be packed in the trays the same will be nested without the brims interlocking.

"When it is desired to pack hats with curved brims the cushioning-rings 27 are made of sufficient thickness to reach from the bottoms 12 to the juncture of the brim and crown without permitting contact of the brim with said bottoms.

1.. In a device of the class described a tray comprising a bottom 12 having notched corners, side bars 16-17 fixed to said bottom 12 and of greater length than said bottom, legs 19 having reduced end portions engaging in the notches of said bottom and engaged by the end portions of said side bars, and end bars 21-22, havinggrooves 24 engaged by the ends of said bottom and notches 23 engaged by the extreme end portion of said side bars, which bottom is pierced by a plurality of apertures 25.

2. In a device of the class described a plurality of trays, each comprising a bottom 12 having a plurality of apertures arranged in rows, each of which apertures is lined by a strip 26 of cloth, a pluralityof cushioning rings of felt fixed to said bottom and surrounding said apertures, side bars 16-17 fixed to said bottom, end bars 21-22 having grooves 24 engaged by said bottom, legs 19 to which said side bars and end bars are secured, straps ixed to the end bars and traversing said apertures in proximity to said rings, and handles 32-33 fixed to said end bars, arranged and combined as set forth for the purposes stated.

In testimony whereof I athx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM C. RICHARDS.

Witnesses: y

LAURA M. RICHARDS, CHARLES PicKLns. 

